West Brom need more goals to fire promotion bid
Joe Masi looks into Albion as they approach the half-way stage of the season.
The highs
It's fair to say Valerien Ismael enjoyed a fine start to life as Albion boss.
The head coach arrived in the summer with a clear playing style that is based on intensity and pressing high up the pitch.
And he installed that philosophy quickly with a 4-0 win at Cardiff in September ensuring the Baggies got through their first 10 league games undefeated.
Never before had an Albion side achieved that feat, making Ismael a record-breaker despite the fact he'd only been at the club a few months.
As well as the victory at Cardiff, other highlights included the Baggies thumping win over Sheffield United at the Hawthorns – with the 10 game unbeaten run ending with them sitting pretty at the top of the table.
The lows
As good as the unbeaten start was, it came crashing to a halt at game 11 when Albion were beaten at Stoke at the start of October.
And that match was start of a run that saw the Baggies win just three of 10 Championship games.
As well as loses at Swansea, Fulham and Huddersfield, Albion laboured to draws against Middlesbrough, Blackpool and Nottingham Forest during that spell.
And it led to questions as to whether Ismael and his side had been found out.
The boss had said at the beginning of the season he wanted his side to be an 'out of possession' high pressing team.
But opponents quickly realised if they sat deep in a low block and looked to hit Albion on the counter-attack, then the Baggies couldn't press with anywhere near the same intensity.
It was clear during this spell Albion were still finding their feet as a side that was often having at least 60 per cent possession in games.
Star performer
Alex Mowatt has proven to be an excellent addition after joining the club on a free transfer in the summer.
Meanwhile, wing-back Conor Townsend is now widely regarded as one of Albion's best players with the 28-year-old incredibly consistent down the left-side.
But it is nine-goal Karlan Grant that has been Albion's most important player so far this season.
The Baggies forward line has struggled this term with Jordan Hugill, Callum Robinson, Grady Diangana and Matt Phillips having failed to get the goals expected of them so far.
Grant, though, has found the target on a regular basis.
And those strikes have been crucial – particularly the winners he got against QPR, Birmingham and Hull.
What needs to improve?
Albion's conversion rate. It really is as simple as that.
Ismael has built a side that is well drilled and organised with the Baggies restricting their opponents to very few chances per game.
If you look at xG data – Albion, on average, limit their opponents to 0.93 chances per match.
They are the only team in the Championship with a score lower of 1.0.
And going forward they create chances.
The xG data shows that they create 1.97 goalscoring chances a game – only Fulham have a high scorer with 1.99.
But Albion's conversion rate is frankly woeful.
Hugill, Robinson, Diangana and Phillips have nine goals between them season – the same number as Grant alone.
Albion have to be more clinical in the final third if they are to challenge Fulham and Bournemouth for automatic promotion.
And the only way they are going to do that is by signing a clinical centre-forward during the January transfer window.
Orlando City's Daryl Dike, Newcastle's Dwight Gayle, Barnsley's Cauley Woodrow, Brenford's Marcus Forrs and Wigan's Callum Lang are all players that have been linked.
Dike would be the ideal signing with the forward outstanding for Ismael at Barnsley last season.
But any one of those players would be a massive upgrade on what Albion already have and would hugely boost their hopes of automatic promotion.
Target for the season
Automatic promotion.
Fulham have Aleksandar Mitrovic who has 22 goals at the time of writing.
Bournemouth have Dominic Solanke who has 17 goals at the time of writing.
But despite both sides having outstanding Championship strikers, they are just four points and two points ahead of the Baggies respectively.
Albion must sign a more clinical centre-forward in January.
But once they do, there is no reason why they can't reel in – and surpass – the current top two, with both of those sides very catchable.
Blackburn are also a threat thanks to 19-goal Ben Brereton Diaz.
But it's highly likely Fulham, Bournemouth and Albion will be the top three sides at the end of the season.
Get January right and the Baggies have every chance of clinching the runners up spot at the very least, leaving one of the Championship's other big-hitters to battle it out in the play-offs.
Joe Masi's Albion final position prediction – 2nd
